The Dice
by Wyvern's Elucidated Brethren
Summary: Draco, scared of Lucius, uses a dice to help him make a decision that changes his life... Slash. **Chapter 7 is up**
1. 1

A/N: This fic was inspired by my Theatre Studies group project. I actually wrote it ages ago, but forgot about it :). Will feature slash, not much really yet but there will be some (of course...you think I'd write more than one fic without slash??)  
  
Disclaimer: I own nowt.  
  
Draco slumped against the door, breathing heavily. Far below he could still hear his father rampaging around like an incensed bull.   
  
"Draco! Get your stinking arse down here now!" his father yelled. Then his tone softened. "Draco, I'm sorry. Come down and get ready for your party." Draco shivered, but didn't answer his father. Today was his eighteenth birthday, and it was also the day when Lucius would hand him over to Voldemort to be initiated into the Death Eaters. And for some reason he really didn't want to, which was why he was hiding.   
  
His father started shouting again, and smashing things, threatening to use the Unforgivable Curses on Draco. Wouldn't be the first time, Draco thought bitterly. He suddenly felt helpless, not knowing what to do.   
  
His eyes fell on a dice, almost hidden by his Quidditch robes. Draco grabbed it. He knew what to do now. He would roll the dice and do whatever the dice came up with. Odds, he would go down, face his father and "be a Malfoy", in his father's words. Evens, he'd run away, side with those his father had told him to shun. Escape. Draco took a deep breath and threw. The dice came up as four.   
  
The next few minutes went in a rush for Draco. He used magic to pack all his things in his trunk, grabbed his new Pegasus broomstick that he'd got from his mother that morning, and opened the window. Here he hesitated. Where would he go? He couldn't go to any of his so-called Slytherin "friends", as they would ship him to his father without any kind of hesitation, then he would have to endure a life of being just like his father.   
  
Then a face crept unbidden into his mind. One that he'd made fun of and secretly lusted after for seven years. Harry Potter. Potter was protected, wasn't he? Therefore Potter would be the logical person to go to. All things considered, he would probably just tell Draco to sod off and shut the door in his face, but Draco thought that it was at least worth a try.   
  
*  
  
Draco stood in Privet Drive, feeling absolutely foolish. He knew that Harry lived in Privet Drive, he'd heard him talking to Granger and Weasley about it. But he didn't know the number. So he decided to lean against the street sign, light up a cigarette - my only regrettable vice, he thought grimly - and wait to see if he emerged.   
  
Soon the door of Number Four opened. A huge man and an even huger boy stepped out, followed by a horsy-faced woman.   
  
"And I want the garden weeded by the time we get back!" bellowed the man, before bundling his family into his car and driving away. Soon after, the door opened again and Harry stepped out, armed with a trowel and gardening gloves. He got to work in the garden. Draco smirked as he watched Harry weeding the garden. How everyone would laugh if they could see the great, famous Harry Potter now. He finished his fag and stepped forward.   
  
"Well, well, the Famous Harry Potter, doing something so base as weeding a garden," he drawled, thinking it was better not to appear too different. Harry jumped at the sound of the familiar drawl, looked up and scowled.   
  
"At least I know what hard work really feels like, not like a certain effeminate, mincing fop not standing a million miles away from me now." Draco glared at him.   
"I do *not* mince!"   
"You do! Anyway, either tell me what it is you want or fuck off out of my garden."   
"Ooh, language, Potter!" mocked Draco, counting his cigarettes.  
"Whatever. Now fuck off." Harry turned back and headed towards the house. Draco felt the onset of panic.   
  
"No! Wait!" Harry paused but didn't turn around. "I need your help." Harry turned back, a sneer on his face.   
"*You* need *my* help?" he laughed. Draco shrugged. "Look, Malfoy, we've hated each other for God knows how long, why should I suddenly start helping you?" For once, Draco found that he couldn't answer and just stared at the floor.   
"I just thought..."   
"Thought what? That I'd do it out of the goodness of my heart?"   
"Something like that," admitted Draco. Harry laughed again. "Look, I know we haven't ever exactly seen eye-to-eye, but - " he hesitated. He didn't really want to tell Potter all that had happened, but then again it might help.  
  
"Listen, I'm not exactly good at expressing my feelings, or telling anyone my problems." Draco looked so lost and helpless for a moment that Harry felt sorry for him. He sat on the grass next to Draco.   
  
"OK, I'm listening. What happened?" Draco was silent for a moment longer. "I won't judge you, I'll promise you that." Draco took a deep breath, then told Harry all about his problems: his doubts about becoming a Death Eater, his conviction that what his father was moulding him into was wrong, the fact that his father would beat him if he didn't conform, and he outlined details of the day to Harry. When he was finished, he looked up at Harry, half expecting Harry to laugh in his face and tell him to fuck off again. To his surprise and gratification, Harry was looking concerned.   
"Draco, I'm sorry," he said, voice full of concern.   
  
Draco, suddenly overcome by the events of the day, felt his lip trembling and the tears welling up in his eyes. He tried to blink them away but they spilled over and ran down his cheeks. Then Harry surprised him again. He put his arm around the shaking boy, drawing him into a hug. At last the tears subsided, and Draco straightened up, suddenly embarrassed.   
  
"Sorry," he mumbled.   
"Don't worry about it," replied Harry, grinning, the front of his T-shirt soaking wet. "Tell you what, I'll try and persuade my aunt and uncle to let you stay for the holiday. Have you got any nice Muggle clothes? They're deeply impressed by anyone with money." Draco nodded; his father had bought him an array of Armani, Versace and Gucci. "Well go and get changed then, my room's the smallest one on the top floor. I'll finish the garden and introduce you." Draco nodded again and slunk off to get changed.  
  
*  
  
A few hours later, the Dursleys had returned. Draco was feeling really nervous, convinced that they would kick him out instead of letting him stay.   
Vernon was the first person in the house, and his eyes narrowed as he saw a well-dressed young man sat on the sofa, talking to Harry.   
  
"Boy! Who is that, and what is he doing here in our house!" Vernon thundered.   
"Uncle Vernon, this is my friend from school, Draco Malfoy." Draco stood up and shook Vernon's hand.   
"Pleased to meet you, Mr Dursley," he said, in his best talking-to-impress voice. Vernon said nothing, merely stood, taking in Draco's beautifully-crafted Armani suit and expensive Gucci shoes. decided that it would be worth talking to this young man, even if he was one of Them, as his family obviously had money. Petunia and Dudley came in then. Dudley whimpered as he caught sight of Draco; he still hadn't gotten over being turned into a pig by Hagrid, or the Ton-Tongue Toffee incident a couple of years back.   
"Pleased to meet you," said Vernon gruffly. "I'm Vernon Dursley. This is my wife Petunia -" Draco took hold of Petunia's hand and kissed it.   
"Such a pleasure to meet you," simpered Draco. Petunia giggled.   
  
Harry was grinning as he watched the scene. It was obvious that the Dursleys were impressed, and Draco was playing the role of a charming, wealthy young aristocrat perfectly. That was one bonus about being a Malfoy, thought Harry, at least you can charm the pants off your potential allies.   
  
"Draco was wondering if he could stay until school starts," asked Harry.   
"I just needed a holiday and thought about seeing Harry. I can pay, of course, I have money, but I if it's too much trouble I'll just go."   
"Well...." began Vernon, but Petunia cut him off.   
"Of course you can stay, Mr Malfoy, it won't be too much trouble. I'll put up a bed in Harry's room." Draco sighed with relief.   
"Thank you. Tell you what, I'll take us all out to dinner tonight, my treat."   
  
*  
  
A week on, and Harry was actually finding Draco pleasant company, and Draco was fast becoming infatuated with Harry. They found out they had lots in common, like Quidditch and playing practical jokes.   
  
Harry still had one worry though: How were his friends, more specifically Ron, going to react to his new friendship with Draco Malfoy? Last time they had talked, they had been outlining ways of getting him expelled. He outlined his problem to Draco.   
  
"Tough choice," remarked Draco. They sat on Harry's bed for a moment, thinking. Then Draco drew the dice out of his pocket.   
  
"When I was trying to decide what to do that day I ran away, I used this to make a decision. You try." Harry stared at the dice doubtfully.   
"You mean, I ask a dice to solve my problems?" He laughed. "And how does it tell you, does it grow a mouth or something?"   
"Hey, it was only a suggestion. It worked for me."   
"How exactly did that work then?"   
"I decided I'd roll the dice. Odds I'd stay and face my destiny as a true Malfoy, evens I'd run away. It came up a four, and here I am." Harry took the dice from Draco and rolled it around in his hand for a while.   
  
"It might be worth a try," he conceded. "What do I have to do?"   
"Ask it the question, in this case do you tell the others. Odds you do, evens you don't."   
  
"OK. Do I tell Ron and Herm or not?" He hesitated for a moment, then rolled the dice. It came up as a one. "OK, so I tell them." He hesitated again. "I don't know..."   
  
"You have to do what the dice says. That's the thrill of it," assured Draco. Harry stared at the dice a bit longer, then went to his desk and started writing letters to Ron and Hermione outlining the situation, then tied them to Hedwig and watched her soar out.   
"I hope I've done the right thing," he murmured.  



	2. 2

Disclaimer: Not ours. We lack the creative genius to make such wonderful people up.  
Wyv: We are taking a little bit of a break from the 'I'm Still Me...' series to try and write more chapters to our other fics, namely, this and 'Dace'.   
Bel: We thought it was unfair to concentrate all our energies on that one fic while those two were being sorely neglected.   
Wyv: And Bel had a few ideas that he wanted to get down. Don't worry, 'I'm Still Me...' is nowhere near finished, and we will return to that once we have more chapters for these two stories.   
Bel: Thanks to everyone who reviewed Chapter 1: Cat Samwise, Prongs, CrystalStarGuardian and Star, Hades, Chloe, Me, Just Silver, MoonShadow, Damien Leokas Cardoza, Lelio and Tinkerbell.   
  
Here we have, finally, chapter 2!  
  
  
Hedwig had just disappeared from view when Harry noticed something tiny speeding towards his window.   
"Ouch!" he grumbled, as Pig hit him on the forehead. There was no way Ron could have replied yet. He opened the letter.   
  
Dear Harry.   
Have you heard? Malfoy's gone missing! I wonder why? It said in the Daily Prophet that he hasn't been seen or heard of since his birthday. D'you reckon You-Know-Who's got him? Oh no, cos then his dad wouldn't be worried, would he. I wonder where he is? What would you do if he turned up at yours? Mind you, I don't suppose he'd last two minutes with the Dursleys, your cousin would squash him flat. I don't know what I'd do if he turned up at mine. Probably shake his hand for seeing the light then punch his face in for all the years he's caused up grief.   
Mum says you can stay the last week before school. We're going to Diagon Alley on Saturday, you can meet us there and come back with us. If you can't get there, send us an owl and Fred and George will come and get you.  
Ron.   
  
"So it doesn't look like he'll take it too badly then," remarked Draco, reading the letter over his shoulders. "Although I might want to get myself some armour or something."   
"Hm," grunted Harry, reading the letter again. "You're not worried that your dad's looking for you?"   
"Nah, I'm old enough to move out and look after myself anyway. And I know a few good hexes if he did find me."   
"That doesn't surprise me," said Harry dryly. Draco raised an eyebrow.   
"Well I was thinking of asking you to share a flat with me, but..." he began sarcastically. Harry laughed. "What?"   
"Just imagining Ron's reaction if I told him that a week ago you turned up here and now we're flat hunting together." Draco considered this for a moment, then laughed too.   
"He wouldn't be too happy, would he?"   
"No." Draco looked at Harry for a moment, and Harry began to feel uncomfortable under the intense gaze.   
  
"What?" Harry asked finally.   
"Nothing," murmured Draco, holding Harry's stare. Harry was beginning to feel extremely tense and turned away. Finally, Harry snapped.   
  
"Draco, for god's sake, will you stop staring at me!" he yelled. He turned back to Draco, to see the younger boy grinning. "What did you do that for?"   
"I was bored," Draco shrugged. "And you're the prettiest thing to look at round here." Harry blushed and shook his head.   
"You're impossible, you know that?"   
"I pride myself on it," smirked Draco. The boys sat in silence for a moment.   
  
"Well, I'm bored, what are we going to do?" asked Draco.   
"Well, there's always board games. Or I could ask Dudley if we could borrow his N64. It's a Muggle games console," he added, seeing Draco's confused look. "He'll lend it to you. He likes anyone with money. It might cost you an ice-cream, though."   
"Ah, decisions, decisions," drawled Draco. He drew the dice out of his pocket and rolled it. "Looks like the N-whatsit." Harry stared at him. "What?"   
"Nothing," replied Harry, getting up and going into Dudley's room to ask about the N64.   
  
"Right," said Harry, ten minutes later when they were installed in the games room. "Which game do you want to play? There's a choice between Goldeneye, a shoot-em-up mission type thing based on the Muggle movie, or there's wrestling."   
  
Again, Draco took the dice out of his pocket and rolled it.   
"The Goldeneye thing," he replied. Harry stared at him again. "What? Are you just getting me back for staring at you?"   
  
"No. You're freaking me out a bit, Draco. Are you going to use that dice to make all your decisions?"   
"Yeah. It's so much easier this way. Let's make a sort of cult of it. Every decision we make, we have to do so by the dice. Ok?"   
"Draco, that's just strange. Extremely strange."   
"I know, but it's also quite fun. And if anything goes wrong, we can blame it on the dice." Harry laughed. "What?"   
"That is so typical of you, Draco, not wanting to take responsibility for your actions!" He sobered up when he saw the look on Draco's face.   
  
"You can laugh if you want, Potter, but it was the dice that enabled me to run from my father. Without it, I wouldn't be here, happier than I have been in ages. Forgive me for wanting to continue it."   
"Ok. I'm sorry," replied Harry, taking the dice from Draco. "Right then, am I in our out?" He rolled the dice. It came up as a six. "Looks like I'm in." He laughed at the look on Draco's face. "Well, it was a decision, wasn't it? Let's say, we ask the dice yes or no questions, odds negative, evens positive." Draco was still staring at Harry. "Well? Say something then!"   
"You're mental!" replied Draco, shaking his head. "So, how do you play this thing then?"   
  
An hour later, Draco had got bored of the game after Harry kept beating him, and they went back to Harry's room to listen to music.   
"What is this stuff, Harry?" asked Draco, looking at the CD cover.   
"Green Day. They're a pretty good band. I borrowed the CDs from Dudley after he got bored with them. I never thought he'd have that good taste." Draco nodded and sat down next to Harry on the bed.   
  
"Right, I know this is going to seem totally random and abrupt, but I want to ask you a question. You don't have to answer if you don't want to." Harry nodded.   
"Ask away."   
"Are you gay?"   
"What?" Harry was startled. That was one question he had not been expecting.   
"Like I said, you don't have to answer."   
"It's ok, I just wasn't expecting you to ask that. Yes, I am. Why did you ask?"   
"Well, I know you were seeing that Ravenclaw seeker, what's her name?"   
"Cho Chang."   
"That's it. Last year. But the relationship never seemed to get anywhere, and just fizzled. Just wondering, as you didn't seem to take much interest in girls after that."   
"Oh, so you've been keeping an eye on me, have you, Draco?" joked Harry.  
"I always do," murmured Draco, half to himself. Harry blushed again, and pretended to be very interested in the CD case.   
  
An uneasy silence fell on the two boys. Draco looked at Harry, who was looking at the walls. Damn! thought Draco. Conversation killer. This isn't going to be easy. He fidgeted a bit, running his fingers through his hair.   
"Harry, I...oh, bugger. Give me the dice," Draco ordered. Harry gave the dice to Draco, looking slightly apprehensive. Draco rolled it.   
  
"Two. That settles it. Harry, I...oh, fuck it." Without warning, Draco took Harry's face in his hands and kissed him. Harry was amazed at first, but returned the kiss and was starting to enjoy it when Draco pulled away, blushing furiously.   
  
"Harry, I'm sorry, I....I've wanted to do that for ages, and the dice....oh, hell!" Draco got up and ran downstairs, leaving a slightly dazed Harry behind him.   
  



	3. 3

  
Wyv: Yay! More reviews! I wasn't expecting such a favourable response, to tell the truth.   
Bel: Yes you were, stop being so humble! The roll of honour is: MoonShadow, Cat Samwise, Nykto, Prongs, Ema Lee, CrystalStarGuardian, Megan and Emily.  
  
Wyv: Thankyou all! We love you!  
  
Chapter 3.  
  
  
Harry sat there in dazed confusion for a moment, a half smile playing on his lips. Draco had kissed him! And it felt....well, pretty damn gorgeous! His brow furrowed. Draco had run. Why had he run? Should he go after him? He wondered idly whether he should use the dice to make the decision, but came to the conclusion that this was too important to concern the dice. He ran out after Draco.   
  
Harry found Draco in the back garden, sitting by the pond watching the fish. He looked up as Harry approached, blushing.   
  
"You have some explaining to do, Mr Malfoy," demanded Harry, hands on hips. Draco blanched.   
"Harry, I...I'm really sorry! I don't know what came over me, the dice...."   
"I'm not talking about that, you idiot! Why did you run?"   
"Oh..." Draco returned his gaze to the fat koi carp that was gliding through the water.   
"Well?"   
"Um, I guess I ran because I was embarrassed. I mean, I don't even know whether you like guys or not, and I just went and kissed you."   
"Well," said Harry, sitting next to Draco and snuggling up to him, "you shouldn't have run. I wasn't finished with you." Before Draco could think of anything to say, Harry had taken his face in his hands and kissed him.   
  
Draco was the first to pull away, about five minutes later.   
"What's the matter?" murmured Harry.   
"Your aunt and uncle are back and I don't think they'd appreciate walking in on us snogging," replied Draco. Harry laughed and suggested they go back up to his room for some privacy.   
  
When Harry opened his bedroom door he noticed that Hedwig was back.   
"She's got Hermione's answer!" he exclaimed, ripping the letter from her leg.   
  
  
"Harry-  
Are you sure you know what you're doing? I mean, Malfoy couldn't be using you to deliver you to You-Know-Who, could he? I suppose you know best, but I want you to be careful. Just imagine what Lucius would do if he found out. He wouldn't be too pleased. Just promise me you won't do anything stupid, not that this isn't, but I suppose I'll have to trust your judgement.   
Are you meeting up with Ron in Diagon Alley? Is Malfoy coming too? Does Ron know?   
Love, Hermione.   
  
Draco snorted as he read the letter over Harry's shoulder.   
"Lucius isn't going to find out, no way," he announced emphatically, putting his arm around Harry's waist. "He won't think of looking among Muggles, so we'll be safe until we get back to Hogwarts..." Draco tailed off. What if his father came for him at school? He was a very powerful person, and could easily get him removed from school and taken home, and then...Draco shuddered, and buried his face in Harry's shoulder.   
  
"It's okay," soothed Harry, stroking Draco's hair, guessing what his sudden silence meant. "I'll owl Dumbledore, he'll guarantee you protection when we're at school. Your father can't hurt you anymore, Draco." Draco nodded, and kissed Harry.   
"Thank you." He laughed suddenly.   
"What?" asked Harry.   
"Can you imagine the look on their face when you turn up in Diagon Alley and announce that I'm your boyfriend out of the blue?" Harry raised his eyebrows and turned to face Draco.   
"Now, Malfoy, why would I do that?" he asked, also laughing.   
"Because, Potter, you can't resist showing off," replied Draco, kissing Harry on the nose and holding him tight.  
  
  
End notes (Wyv): Sorry this chapter's so short. I have had inspiration for all my other fics...gaaah! Off to write yet more on the others....take care all, leave a review and I'll have the next part up as soon as Bel lets me stop writing the others... :)   
  



	4. 4

  
A/N: Thank you to my wonderful reviewers! That's: Nykto, UserFriendly, Prongs, MoonShadow, Cat Samwise, Just Silver, Emily (or is it Goddess now? :) ), Padfootsgirl, SophieB, CrystalStarGuardian, GIGO (Bel hasn't got a separate author account, he's too lazy :) ), Ruka-chan, Becks, Goddess Shinigami, Evenstar, Alynnia*McKinnon, nodoubt13 and Little_Manga_Neko. If I've missed anyone, I'm sorry, I can't access my reviews at the moment to find out if there's anyone else :)   
  
Sorry this part took so long, guys, but I had terrible writer's block and had to wait for Bel and Lan to come back from holiday. Well, here goes... hope you like it :)  
  
*  
  
Draco and Harry were sitting watching television with the Dursleys two days later. It was a rather violent programme of Dudley's featuring a lot of high-speed car chases, gun fights and a lot of blood, gore and muck all over the place. Draco was quite enjoying it, but it was plain that Harry wasn't; he was almost asleep, his head resting on Draco's shoulder. Harry didn't mind too much though, as long as Draco was there he was quite happy.   
  
It was just getting to a really good and gory part when Pig entered through the window with a letter from Ron. Uncle Vernon and Aunt Petunia glared at the owl but didn't say anything. They'd become somewhat accustomed to the owls swooping in and out, and as they held Draco in a sort of grudging respect they didn't like to say anything that would offend him. Harry grabbed Pig and ripped the letter off him, trying to ignore his hoots as he zoomed around their heads. Dudley swatted at the owl, annoyed that the hooting was interrupting his programme.   
  
Harry -   
WHAT THE BLOODY HELL ARE YOU DOING?! ARE YOU COMPLETELY INSANE?? You've got DRACO MALFOY living with you?!?! Harry, that could be dangerous! What if he's a spy? What if Lucius found out? Harry, you'd be in so much trouble, why are you doing it? It's absolute madness! Mum's out of her mind with worry, she thinks you're going to be murdered any second! I suppose if you're coming to stay then he will have to, but Mum and Dad aren't happy about it. They're putting him up a place in the shed. How are you getting to Diagon Alley? Send your reply with Pig, if you've got no way of getting there then Dad will pick you up tomorrow at 5. We've got a new car!   
Ron.   
  
"So Ron's not too happy then," murmured Draco.   
"It would appear that way," Harry replied, grabbing a pen and scribbling a reply on the back of the parchment. "Ron's dad's going to pick us up tomorrow at 5."   
"I know, I've been reading the letter over your shoulder," replied Draco. He was looking extremely worried.   
"What's the matter?"   
"I don't think I should go to the Weasley's. I mean, they hate me. I wouldn't be welcome here, and I don't want to be a bother."   
"They've said it's all right, haven't they?"   
"Yeah, but if they're not happy..."  
"Draco!"   
"Sssh!" said Dudley, looking annoyed. "The best bit's coming up!" Harry glanced at the screen. Surprise, surprise, another fight. He grimaced as someone was stabbed then beheaded.  
"We'll talk about it later," he said, yawning. "I'm off to bed."   
"What? Come on, Harry, this is a great film, you've gotta see the end!" said Draco.   
"Nah. See you later." Harry walked out of the room, ruffling Draco's hair as he walked past, smiling as Draco yelled "Don't touch the hair!"   
  
An hour later, Draco went up to bed. Harry was asleep, so he undressed as quietly as possible and slipped into bed.   
"Draco?" Harry murmured.   
"Sorry, didn't mean to wake you," Draco whispered back.   
"I wasn't asleep," lied Harry, yawning.   
"Just resting your eyes, then?"   
"Yeah. Drac, you coming to the Burrow?" Silence. "Drac?"   
"Just thinking about it. Yeah, I'll probably come."   
"Good." Harry rolled over and went back to sleep. Draco couldn't sleep, staring up at the ceiling. He really didn't want to go to the Weasley's. If they didn't want him there, he wouldn't go, simple as that. But Harry wanted him there. And they had said he could stay, albeit grudgingly. Draco sighed and turned over. What was he going to do?   
  
His eyes fell on the dice sat on the bedside table. He picked it up and rolled it around in his hand. It was comforting, somehow, just holding it in his hand.   
  
Draco sat up, suddenly knowing what to do. He would roll the dice to make his decision.   
"Do I go to the Burrow?" he asked, rolling the dice. It rolled under the bed. Swearing under his breath, he reached his hand under the bed and pulled it out, showing a three. Draco got up and started putting his things in his trunk as quietly as he could, pausing every now and then to listen for any signs of Harry waking up. He wouldn't go to the Burrow, he would have to find somewhere to stay for the next week. He had a little money, maybe he could find a bed and breakfast or something. He pulled on some clothes, picked up his trunk and opened the door, wincing as it creaked. He paused and looked back at Harry. He was still asleep. He looked so cute when he was asleep.   
  
"See you at school, love," Draco whispered, shutting the bedroom door and walking out of the house.   



	5. 5

Wyv: I know, we're taking too long with our stories, blame writer's block :)   
Lan: And holidays, nights out and Bel suddenly becoming a cleaning obsessive and accidentally chucking half the chapter out.  
Bel: I didn't mean to! At least *I* remembered what was written. Thanks to Damy, Cat Samwise, Prongs, Ruka-chan, Ema Lee, Destiny and Sandra Solaria Dees for all your wonderful reviews!   
  
Dice, chapter 5.   
************************************************************************************************  
  
When Harry first woke up the following morning he didn't see any point in worrying when he saw Draco's bed was empty, as Draco was usually down to breakfast before him. His first indication that something was horribly wrong was when he got to the breakfast table and saw that it was completely devoid of sexy blond.   
  
Dudley sat down next to Harry, dressed in his latest present from Vernon and Petunia, a Slipknot T-shirt. They had bought the largest size they could find, and it was still stretched horribly across Dudley's large stomach. Harry made a face.   
"You don't seriously like any of their music, do you?" he asked, indicating the top.   
"I don't know, I've never heard any of it," replied Dudley. "But Piers has got one and I wanted one." That figures, thought Harry.   
  
"Have you seen Draco anywhere?" asked Harry, in a would-be casual voice.   
"Your friend? No. Isn't he still in bed?"   
"No," replied Harry, a sense of dread filling his stomach. Without touching the bacon that Aunt Petunia put in front of him, he dashed up to his bedroom and started frantically pulling it apart, looking for any indication of where Draco was, worried to death that Lucius had turned up in the middle of the night and taken him away.   
  
Half an hour and several cigarettes that Harry had found later, he'd calmed down enough to realise that there was no way Lucius could have turned up in the middle of the night, as if he had, then he, Harry, would not have been left tucked up in bed. Draco must have run away.   
"You idiot," he whispered softly to himself. He reasoned that he couldn't do anything until Arthur came to pick him up, and so set himself to moping around the house and annoying the Dursleys.   
  
Five o'clock found Harry sat on the doorstep with his trunk. The Dursleys had got fed up with his pacing and fidgeting and ordered him out two hours ago. He heard the roaring of a car and looked up just as Arthur pulled up alongside the pavement and Ron jumped out.  
  
"Harry! How are ya, mate! Is that all your stuff?" Harry nodded. Ron picked up the trunk, then looked around. "Where's Malfoy?"   
"He ran off," replied Harry. Ron snorted. "Don't be like that! He didn't feel comfortable staying anywhere where he wasn't welcome. I just wish he wasn't so bloody stupid sometimes."   
"Hey, it's Malfoy, what do you expect?" replied Ron. "Anyway, we won't be staying at my house for at least a week, Dad decided it would be fun for us to stay in Muggle London for a week." Ron grimaced.   
"Don't look like that, it could be quite fun," said Harry.   
"Boys, are you coming?" called Arthur from the car. Harry shouted a goodbye to the Dursleys through the letterbox then followed Ron to the car.   
  
Two days later, they were on their way back to the hotel after visiting Regents Park Zoo. Harry stared miserably out of the car window. He was enjoying himself with the Weasleys, but he would enjoy it even more if he wasn't worried sick about Draco. Arthur had offered to put a missing person's report at the Ministry, but there was nothing more they could do. The car crawled along the road at impossibly slow speeds in the afternoon rush-hour traffic jam. Ron was bored and complaining about the heat at the top of his voice, and Harry ignored him, busying himself with seeing how many tourists with "I Love London" written on their hats he could spot. He gave up soon, as there were too many to count. Then, as they slowed to a complete halt near Hyde Park, something caught his eye.  
  
"Wait here for me," he commanded, jumping out of the car door, followed closely by Ron, demanding "What the hell are you doing?!" Harry ignored him, and had soon outstripped him. A figure with silvery blond hair was slumped on a nearby bench. Harry shook him roughly.   
"Draco?" he prayed silently.  
"Wha'? Yes, mum, I'm coming," murmured Draco sleepily. He soon came wide awake as he noticed Harry. "Harry? What are you doing here?"  
"What the hell are you doing, sleeping rough?"   
"I'm not sleeping rough, I just didn't get much sleep at the B&B I was staying at last night, I came out here to feed the ducks and fell asleep. I ask again, what are you doing here?"   
"Me and the Weasleys are staying in Muggle London for a couple of days, Mr Weasley's idea." Harry broke off and grabbed Draco into a hug. "But never mind, I'm so glad you're okay, Draco, I've been worried sick about you!"   
"You shouldn't have been. I can take care of myself," replied Draco, although he was pleased to see Harry, as he had missed him. He gave Harry a light kiss on the lips.   
  
"Harry? What the hell?" wheezed Ron, after finally having caught up with them, clutching a stitch in his side. He caught sight of Draco. "Oh, there you are, Malfoy. Harry's been worried about you, although I don't know why he bothers personally."   
"Nice to see you too, Ron," scowled Draco.   
"Oh, don't fight, you two!" sighed Harry. "Can't you just get along?"   
"Harry - it's Malfoy!" exclaimed Ron. "Remember? Our arch enemy and the bloke who's made our lives misery for the last few years?"   
"I've changed, Ron," said Draco softly. "I'm really sorry about the last few years, but I'm free of my father now and I don't have to live up to his expectations any more. Friends?" He stuck out a hand. Ron eyed it warily.   
"Shake hands, you moron!" Harry exclaimed. Ron grinned at Harry and shook Draco's hand.   
  
"Okay, friends. But if you do something stupid I can still beat you senseless, right?"   
"Not if I beat you senseless first!" They walked back to the car, arguing over who was stronger.   
"Boys," muttered Harry, walking along behind them. Although he had to admit, the height difference between them at least would mean that Ron would win any physical disagreement. But at least they were getting along. For the moment, anyway. 


	6. 6

Bel: Hi all! Thanks to our reviewers for chapter 5: blackskye (don't worry, there will be lots more yet... we haven't even really begun to get started :) ), Ruka-chan, Sandra Solaria Dees (hehe.. patience, my dear, we're working as hard as we can :) ), PepperjackCandy, and Prongs.   
Lan: Anyone reading this fic like Green Day? Our Wyv's done a lovely little slash piece about our favourite band, go read it! It's called 'Misplaced Affections'. It's really good!   
Wyv: *blush* Thank you, Lan. I swear he should work in advertising :). Now, on a solemn note, before moving on to the story, we would like you to join us for a moment of silence on this day of mourning, as a mark of respect to those unaccounted for in the tragedy in America.....  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
Thank you.  
  
Chapter 6.   
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The next few days were taken up with visits to local tourist attractions. Ron and Draco were getting on fine, despite bickering almost constantly. Hermione said she was almost glad of that fact, as it meant that she wasn't arguing with Ron as much. Arthur was pleasantly surprised to see that Draco was not imitating his father and being an arrogant little shit; as Draco said to them, he wanted to forget everything about his father.   
  
Today they were visiting various museums, starting off at the Natural History Museum. Ron stopped dead as he saw the dinosaur skeleton looming over the reception area.  
"That is one seriously big bastard!" he said to Harry.   
"That was one of the plant-eating ones," replied Harry. "You should see the meat eaters."   
"What, there were things that ate that thing? How big were they then? The size of a volcano?"   
"Shit! That bastard had a seriously huge head!" called Draco from their right. They wandered over to what he was looking at - a Tyrannosaurus Rex skull.   
"Look at the teeth on that thing! Hang on..." Ron was looking critically at the skull. "It looks a little like the Horntail you faced in the TriWizard Tournament, Harry."   
"That's because, boys," whispered Mr Weasley, smiling, "the Ministry has a hell of a job to disguise the dragon remains when they die. They employ people to Transfigure the bones slightly so they're not recognisable as a dragon, and that's what the Muggles keep digging up. All these so-called 'new' dinosaurs being discovered, it's just our lads having a bit of fun." Arthur then took them round all the dinosaur bones, telling them what dragons were most likely to be Transfigured into which dinosaur.   
  
The next stop was the Imperial War Museum. They were all quite impressed with the displays of technology, and found the replica First World War trench quite fascinating, although Hermione complained about the smell. Ron liked the Blitz Experience, where they went into a bomb shelter and experienced the terror of the air raids. Ginny found it quite terrifying, but they found Ron queuing up outside it again and again.   
  
When the time to leave came, Harry realised that Draco was missing. They found him poring over pages of Nazi propaganda, Allied photos of the Nazis' victims and other Second World War writings. He looked up as Harry approached, his face deathly pale.   
  
"This is terrible!" he said. "I mean, I thought Voldemort was bad, but this, this is horrible! If a mere Muggle can do this much damage, can gain all that power and violence, I dread to think what Voldemort could do! And to think I nearly joined him!" Draco was shaking now, and Harry put his arm around his shoulders. He had known for quite a while what Voldemort was capable of, but he supposed that Draco had been indoctrinated from the moment he was born, and taught all about the glory there was to be had in serving Voldemort, and nothing about the nastier, darker side.   
"It's all right, Drac," soothed Harry. "You made the right decision, you know."   
"Yeah, I know, but what if..."   
"Hey, don't dwell on the 'what if's, okay? I've learned that lesson. It doesn't do to dwell on the past. Focus on the Now, as it's all any of us have." Draco smiled then, and hugged Harry close.   
"I'm so lucky to have you, Harry, you know that?"   
"Yeah, you keep saying," grinned Harry, kissing Draco firmly on the lips.   
  
Draco pulled away after a moment.   
"What's the matter?" asked Harry.   
"Er.. we haven't exactly told anyone we'd been going out, have we?"   
"No, we haven't, why...?" Draco nodded to his left. Ron was staring at them with an expression he normally reserved for spiders. Hermione was looking amused. Ginny was looking furious, and it seemed that Mr Weasley was trying not to laugh.   
"Well, er, it's time to go, boys, time for dinner," Arthur gave a discreet cough. "Come along." Grinning, Harry took Draco's hand and they followed Mr Weasley out. Ron was still staring at Harry as if he'd suddenly grown six extra legs and eyes and turned black and hairy.   
  
"What?" demanded Harry.   
"Harry - you and Malfoy..."   
"Yeah, and?"   
"You and Malfoy?"   
"Yes, me and Malfoy, your point is?"   
"Harry, you and *Malfoy* just *kissed*!?!"   
"Well, yes, he *is* my boyfriend!" Ron wasn't looking where he was going and smacked straight into the door. Hermione laughed.   
"Come on, Ron, it's not that shocking," she said. "I'm guessing this has been going on since Draco moved in with you?"   
"About a week after, actually," replied Draco. "He's been great for me, he really has."   
"How cute!" Ron nearly choked. "But it is, I think it's really sweet. And come on, Ron, you look like an idiot sat by the door like that. We're going to get some food." At the mention of the magic word 'food' Ron scrambled off and ran on ahead to catch his father up.   
  
Later, they were all walking along munching their chips and staving off the hoardes of pigeons that swooped around them, hoping for a spare crumb. Or chip. The whole packet, if they could spare it for the poor, starving pigeons (some of which were so fat they couldn't take off properly). Ron soon got annoyed with the pigeons and began chasing the pigeons away. Ginny rolled her eyes.   
"Honestly, Ron, you're not five!" she called. The others laughed, but stopped abruptly as they noticed a pure white globe floating above the crowd. They watched as it settled briefly above a small boy with blond hair, before moving on.   
  
"What's that?" asked Harry, nudging Draco. Draco had gone even paler than usual. He seemed so scared, he couldn't speak. Wordlessly he watched as the globe settled over his head then exploded, sending a shaft of light a mile high into the sky. Draco whimpered and clung to Harry. "What was that?" asked Harry again. Draco turned to Harry, his eyes wide and fearful.   
"That was a Search Spell. My father's found me!" 


	7. 7

Thank you for the marvellous reviews: Sandra Solaria Dees, Princess of Mirrors, Prongs, Cassie, PepperjackCandy, OMG, Nagini, Cassandra, RainShadow, Evil Windstar, Antiprep Superstar, Cat Samwise, Villain, insane squirrel, coriander and Liz Skywalker. Anyone I've missed, I'm sorry!   
So sorry this has been so long in coming. We've had a number of disputes about what to write, and got stuck. Hope it's been worth the wait!   
  
***  
  
Draco stood still, too terrified to move, blind panic affecting his ability to think up a plan. His hand curled around the dice in his pocket but before he could do anything Mr Weasley had pulled him behind a pillar and touched his wand to Draco's head.   
  
The next second Lucius appeared, dressed in black and wearing an expression to match. He passed right by the Weasleys, pausing only to sneer in their direction. Draco watched him fearfully, his heart pounding, his mouth dry. Arthur put his hand on his shoulder gently.   
  
"You won't find him, you know," Mr Weasley called to Lucius. Lucius turned a glare on him that could out-rival a Basilisk's.   
"And why not?" he asked coldly.   
"He Disapparated as soon as the search spell hit. He could be anywhere by now." Lucius swore and Disapparated. Arthur's grip tightened on Draco's shoulder and he led the bemused youth back to the car.   
  
"Why didn't my father see me?" Draco wondered aloud. Then he caught sight of his reflection in the car window. The face of Bill Weasley looked back at him.   
"The effects should wear off in a couple of hours," said Arthur.   
"Thank you," grinned Draco.   
"Oh, it was nothing. Just doing my duty as a responsible wizard." Arthur grinned too. "And, of course, anything to get one up on that slimy git!"   
  
*  
  
They arrived back at the hotel later that evening. Ron, Harry and Draco went straight upstairs to their room. Harry took his portable CD player out of his bag and put on the Green Day CD that Draco had been admiring at the Dursleys.   
  
"This song used to make me think of you," said Harry, as he put 'Brat' on. Draco grinned in embarrassment as he listened to it. He took the sleeve out of the case and looked at the lyrics.   
"'Got a plan of action and cold blood and it smells of defiance, I'll just wait for mom and dad to die and get my inheritance, Now I want more cos I'm getting bored and I'm going nowhere fast..' I was quite the bastard, really, wasn't I? What do you think of me now then, Mr Potter?" Harry grinned and kissed Draco deeply. Ron coughed loudly.   
  
"Please, warn me when you're going to do that, I'd appreciate not having a heart attack before I turn eighteen." Ron shook his head as Harry and Draco broke apart. "I can't get used to this. I mean, at the end of last term we were plotting to get him expelled, and now you're an item, it's too much for my poor brain to handle!"   
"Oh, so there is a brain in amongst that thick skull?" asked Draco in mock surprise. Ron snorted and pushed him off the bed.   
"It's nice to know some things never change," remarked Harry, getting off the bed. "I'm going to chat to the girls, it's the only way to get a sensible conversation around here."   
  
*  
  
The next day and night would be their last in Muggle London, and after a heated debate with Mr Weasley that involved such points as 'Everyone does it,' 'Fred and George are old enough, they'll look after us,' 'There'll be people even younger than us there' and 'We promise we won't get drunk', he agreed to let them go to a club that night.   
  
Harry, Ron and Draco ran up to Harry's room with Hermione and Ginny, eagerly discussing where they wanted to go and what they were going to wear.   
"There's an alternative nightclub just around the corner from here, I wouldn't mind going there," said Harry.   
"What's an alternative nightclub?" asked Ginny.   
"It's a club that plays punk, metal, rock and indie music. You know, the kind of stuff I listen to," he added, on seeing their blank faces.   
"Well I wouldn't mind going to a normal club," began Hermione, "but I don't suppose it would do any harm to go just this once."   
  
The others agreed to try it out, and the talk turned to what everyone would be wearing. Draco was beginning to panic - what if his father was still in Muggle London?   
"Don't worry, Draco, we've got just the thing," grinned Hermione. She pulled out her wand and muttered a charm. Draco's hair turned bright purple. He grinned.   
"Thanks. My father won't recognise me like that."   
"Come on, Draco, let me do your hair!" ordered Ginny, grabbing Draco's arm and marching him from the room.   
  
Two hours later they were ready to go. Draco was wearing black flared jeans and a green Green Day T-shirt. His hair had been spiked up, and he had been forced into wearing black nail varnish.   
"You look absolutely gorgeous, love," grinned Harry. Draco smiled as he surveyed Harry, dressed in baggy dark blue jeans and a tight red T-shirt that had been scribbled on.   
"You're not bad yourself," replied Draco, moving in for a kiss.   
"Um, we don't want to be late, can we go?" demanded Ron, looking very awkward in beige combats and a NOFX hoodie. Draco and Harry laughed and the group set off.   
  
"So, Harry, have you and Draco had sex yet?" asked Ginny as they walked along the road.   
"Ginny!" spluttered Ron. "You're only 16, you're..."   
"... Old enough to do it myself," Ginny finished. Ron stared at her. "Oh, come on, Ron! I'm not a child any more."   
"You've done it, haven't you? Oh my God, Ginny, you're my little sister! You're not allowed to have sex, ever! That's... ick!"   
"So, Harry," said Hermione, raising her voice over Ron's, "answer the question then."   
"No, we haven't yet," replied Harry, blushing.   
"Although that could change tonight," grinned Draco, hugging Harry tight.   
"Ew! No! You have the room next to me, I won't be able to sleep!"   
  
*  
  
Later on, in the club, Draco and Ron were discovering that they actually liked the kind of music on offer and were down on the dancefloor bouncing around to System of a Down while Harry, Hermione and Ginny were getting drinks. Fred and George had forgotten that they were meant to be chaperoning the children, and were talking to a group of girls. Draco left the dancefloor when the song ended and went to the toilet, splashing water onto his face.   
  
"Hey!" A skinny guy with a bright red, two pronged beard and green mohawk detached himself from the wall and made his way over to Draco. "Do you want a couple of E's?" He shoved a handful of pills in Draco's face.   
"Um, no. Thanks," replied Draco.   
"Are you sure? Go on, it's great, you won't regret it."   
"Um..."   
"Go on."   
"Hang on a moment." Draco took the dice out of his pocket and rolled it. He rolled a six. 


End file.
